Boarder X • Through April 2, 2017

Boarder X presents contemporary work by artists from Indigenous nations across Canada who surf, skate, and snowboard. The exhibition reveals how these practices are vehicles to challenge conformity and status quo, as well as demonstrate knowledge and performed relationships with the land. Whether reading the urban terrain, making a cement jungle a playground, riding the natural contours of white immovable mountains, or shredding the ever-changing waves, it’s not about controlling land and water, but being humbled by their power.

Through painting, mixed media, carving, weaving, photography, performance, and video, the artists reflect cultural, political, environmental, and social perspectives, as well as critiques about the territories we occupy. The paintings present narratives and observations of traditions, movement, balance, and entanglements of space, place, and belonging. Mobilizing traditional histories, the artwork conceptually bridges the past and present with reinventions in carving, weaving, and performance. Video and photography capture the energy of boarding with unbridled motivation and physicality. The exhibition is an affirmation of cultural resilience and an acknowledgement of ongoing respect and reverence for the land.

Artists

Words

Boarder X curator, Jaimie Isaac, and Winnipeg artist, Peatr Thomas, took part in a “train the trainers” course at Roarockit Skateboards so they could in turn teach seven youth how to build, shape, and design their own custom skateboards. More

When the curve of your board hits the edge of the snow just right, and you take an icy breath of air while flying down the hill: you can feel each carve creating fine pellets of snow flying up past your hair, whipping through the wind—that feeling cannot be replicated. More

The sport of surfing has captured the global imagination: from the beach blanket films of Gidget, to Point Break and Blue Crush, from surf apparel to beach bodies, the images and styles of mainstream surf culture circulate the globe as significant capital and cultural revenue. More

For the opening of Boarder X, local artists Mike Valcourt, Kenneth Lavallee, and Peatr Thomas collaborated to create a colorful and powerful floor mural for boarders to skate on and guests to gaze down upon. More

The Boarder X Artist Round Table took place on Saturday, November19. The six Boarder X artists present spoke with curator Jaimie Isaac about their body of work – how they have re-contextualized traditional methods from the past – and how the complexities of Canada’s Colonial history has impacted past and present generations. The discussion was introduced by a talk from Micheal Langan, founder of Colonialism Skateboards. More